Objectified
by Hiyume
Summary: She smiled… that gentle smile she always did, oblivious to his inner turmoil… that smile that wasn’t for him... HirukoxMizuki, One-sided. Rated T because the manga is Rated T And for angst-ness, I guess .


**A/N: **Just a quick drabble. I've liked this series for a while. I read all of it like 4 months ago, obsessed over it for about 2 weeks, and then the manga books started collecting dust. I decided to reread them and realized how much I love the series ;; So I wrote something up really quick (Not much proofreading done. I just wrote down whatever was my head, so there might be a few typos).

Also, this would have been up a few days ago, but I wrote a lot of it on paper and was too lazy to type it out ;;

(If you're reading this and have no idea what Nightmare Inspector is, go to a bookstore and read it. This series doesn't get enough love~)

Anyway, enjoy~

**Disclaimer: **Nightmare Inspector belongs to Shin Mashiba.

0ooooooooooooooooooooo0

_Under the cover of darkness, they come to the Silver Star Tea House…_

…_Seeking solace…_

A gentle candlelight shone through the front window of the teahouse, like a beacon in the darkness of the night. It was an eerie glow, and yet comforting, as if readying a person for the Baku that resided within.

It was around 10PM, Hiruko guessed, sitting in his usual spot with his elbow resting against the tabletop and his hand on his chin. Hifumi had left about an hour before to attend the Rumours Club meeting and wouldn't be back until around midnight. He heard Mizuki humming a careless tune while she cleaned the coffee cup that had just been used by a customer. Hiruko let out a shaky sigh and looked over at her warily, his mouth set into a thin line. A grin stretched the waitress's lips, obviously happy due to the fact that the customer had given her a large tip for the coffee she'd given him.

For her, tonight was a normal night. A regular customer, a regular, empty teahouse, and a regular nightmare.

But… to Hiruko, the nightmare was far from regular. It was tormenting.

-----------------

"My name is Kawari Yutaka," the customer began, "Is this the residence of Hiruko the Baku…?"

_Hiruko didn't so much as glance up as the man was greeted by Mizuki and lead over to the seat across from him. A customer had come in earlier with a rather gory dream, so he wasn't particularly peckish, or, if anything, interested. The Baku let himself finish the page of a book he was reading (he didn't care for the name) before letting his tired stare rest on the form of his client._

_ The man's appearance was like most others; his mahogany eyes looked pale and bloodshot, eyebags and wrinkles making him look older and his pitch-black hair dishevelled as though he'd just climbed out of bed and stepped into a tornado. Hiruko raised an accusing eyebrow at Kawari, who coughed nervously in response._

_ "C-Could you help me with my nightmare?"_

"Depends," Hiruko mumbled, rolling his eyes, "What is it about?"

_ Kawari was silent for a moment, probably contemplating what he could say to a complete stranger. "My twin brother, Saishomaru, died two months ago. They said it was suicide…" he trailed off, letting his words hang in the air. The soft sound of Mizuki pouring coffee suddenly stopped. "He was going to get married the next day to a woman named Miketsu. They'd been together for five years, engaged for one. Saishomaru talked about her all the time. He was so happy… No one could understand why he would kill himself." Kawari sighed, running his hands through his wind-swept hair._

_ "So, this dream is about his death?" Hiruko muttered, his fingers tapping impatiently on the table's surface._

_ "W-Well, part of it, yes." He snapped out of his depression and into a slightly frantic state. "Even though I hardly knew Miketsu, she's been clinging to me ever since my brother's death. I haven't gone a single day without her visiting me and staying until I give some stupid excuse to make her leave. If I don't she would stay, I'm sure of it."_

_ "She's projecting her feelings for Saishomaru onto you because she can't accept his death." Hiruko mumbled. His finger-tapping stopped, his gaze piercing through Kawari in a silent understanding. The Baku's words hung in the air as Mizuki placed a cup of coffee in front of the customer. He thanked her silently, downing it all in just a few gulps._

_ "I know her feeling are not for me, and yet… I've fallen for her. I'm so tormented by it because I know that if I tell her, she'll be disgusted with me! So I began dreaming about being with her. My dream was so perfect, but I know that it could never happy in reality…"_

_ "… So reality distorted it into a nightmare." Mizuki finished for him as she took his cup. He nodded._

_ Hiruko could not find much interest in what the nightmare would taste like, but he found that the air in the Silver Star teahouse had become heavy. Was he the only one to realize…? He wanted to look over at Mizuki to see if she felt the same, but his eyes refused to follow his commands._

"Alright," he said instead, lifting his cane from its hanging position on the tabletop's edge, "Let's see this nightmare of yours.

"Sleep now… leave this world behind."

------------------

The nightmare itself had been a blur. Hiruko could recall a second identical head growing slowly out of Kawari's shoulder, whispering '_mine, mine_' as who he could only guess to be Miketsu clung onto him to the point of suffocation. He resolved the dream half-heartedly, but whatever he did seemed to satisfy Kawari. He'd smiled and said thank you enthusiastically, leaving a large tip for Mizuki before almost _skipping _out the front door. The dream itself had tasted flat… unresolved.

And there Hiruko sat, fingers placed hard against his own face as he watched Mizuki, humming while she scrubbed at the marble surface of the bar… completely oblivious…

She looked up suddenly as if she'd heard something, but was met with the Baku's depressed gaze. He flinched slightly despite himself, but kept his eyes glued to hers. Their awkward stares were a natural occurrence, as there wasn't much to look at in an empty teahouse. And yet, Hiruko felt flustered, as if Mizuki formed his depression into words.

But… she smiled… that gentle smile she always did, oblivious to his inner turmoil…

… That smile that wasn't for him... It was for Azusa, and Hiruko knew it. He'd known this for so long, and was so used to it, but it was only now that this realization burned his ice-cold skin.

Mizuki never had a smile for him. There were no words, no actions that had 'Hiruko' in mind. It was all 'Azusa'. He was an object, in her eyes. A replacement. A figment meant to reassure her that her beloved brother still existed somewhere. Nothing more. She wouldn't care if he disappeared that night, as long as someone else was there in his stead.

Only now, after that man's story, did Hiruko realize that he wanted to be _more _than a replacement in her eyes. An unfamiliar pain suddenly constricted his chest, it only increasing as the waitress walked over to him.

He stared dumbly at her as she walked closer, only to walk past as she began scrubbing out a coffee stain on the tabletop. The Baku opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Even a _stain _was more important.

After a moment, she looked at him again, catching his bewildered expression. For an instant, she was confused, and looked almost tempted to ask what was wrong, but instead, she smiled… _his _smile… and Hiruko's face burned with heartbreak.

"Mizuki." he breathed more than spoke. Her expression became blank.

"Yes?" she whispered back as if she should maintain the silence.

"That man's story… who did you feel more for? Kawari or Miketsu?"

"Well, Miketsu, naturally." Mizuki replied without so much as a second thought, continuing with her scrubbing. Hiruko's hand suddenly rested upon hers, her warmth almost a shock compared to his freezing skin. Her eyes locked with his once more.

"Is it because you're in the same situation as her?" the question was rhetorical, but Hiruko let his words float in the air for a few moments longer, the silence filled with an unfamiliar heaviness. "So you don't understand what Kawari was going through."

"H-Hiruko?" she stuttered, her hand beginning to tremble under his. It didn't seem like she was afraid. It looked more to be that she was beginning to understand his analogy.

"Miketsu treated Kawari like some_thing_, not some_one._ He was an object used to project her feelings for another. She didn't realize how… much she hurt him." Hiruko stuttered despite trying to keep his voice steady. Mizuki's expression became apologetic, causing him to look away in shame.

"I-I'm sorry, Hiruko…" she mumbled back, turning her hand to hold his, "… but I can't just…"

"You can't just what!?" The air stilled from his yell. Even Hiruko was surprised by his outburst; he'd never yelled at Mizuki in such a way… he didn't want to continue—her face was filled with so much sorrow that it hurt him—but, he decided, he might as well finish what he started. "You can't just stop hurting me? Is that it?" his voice wasn't loud anymore, but it was low, menacing… and sad.

She muttered his name again in apology and fear. He felt her hand trying to tug out of his grasp, making him look up. Her eyes were glazed over with unshed tears. Was it fear? Or guilt? Their gazes met, and all motion stopped.

Her name rolled off his tongue, blending with the silence as though it hadn't been said. He stood without realizing it, her hand still in his as he stepped closer. She tried to move away, but it happened before she had time to follow through.

He kissed her. It was passionate, as if trying to portray the words that he refused to say, to show her the emotions he'd kept up bottled inside. He let everything he felt fall into that kiss; hate, sadness, happiness, love… and somehow he found that this act of kissing was just as good as nightmares.

But then her shock and uncertainty was gone. It was over.

Mizuki pulled away from him suddenly, ripping her hand from his grasp while he was still disoriented by her reaction. A tear fell from her eyes as she shook her head slowly.

"No…" she breathed, her hands clasping together under her chin, "No… it feels _wrong_… I-I'm sorry."

Hiruko said nothing. His eyes were void, as if staring through her. He didn't make any movement, even as she apologized again and ran upstairs to her room, leaving him there…

Alone… In that pleasant darkness that embraced him lovingly… but now… it was suffocating…

---------------

It was the next night. Hifumi was babbling in the corner, no one sure as to whether his words were directed at them or Naamu. No customers had entered the teahouse yet, though it was already late. Hiruko had no distraction.

The Baku stared blankly as Mizuki scrubbed at an invisible stain on the countertop, humming a tune like she usually did. She looked up to an invisible sound, like she always did, catching Hiruko's gaze in an awkward stare.

And then she smiled…

That smile that wasn't meant for him…

0ooooooooooooooooooooo0

**A/N: **Before anyone throws eggs at me for that kissing part:

1) I hated volume 9, so I refuse its existence.

2) Kissing is not always about 'romantic love'. He's using kissing to portray what he doesn't want to say. And I know it says 'love', but again, that can be any kind of love.

3) I hate Mizuki with a burning passion, but I still like this pairing (Blame Mashiba for his chapter covers). So, if she seems like a b****, that's why.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed~


End file.
